Identification means for address plates



' 1927 1 628,631 May H. c.-osBoRN Y IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR ADDRESS PLATES Filed Auz. 12. 1925 l6 2 I ma gwwntoc Patented May 10, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. OSBORN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR ADDRESS PLATES.

Application filed August 12, 1926. Serial No. 128,760.

This invention relates to printing devices, and particularly to a printing form suitable for use as an address printing plate. Such plates may support individual addresses and Salutations and are adapted to be contained in a drawer or stack and selected either serially or by suitable indicia for printing. In the form shown, the plate is adapted for ribbon printing, the plate underlying the ribbon and the paper overlying tie same, the paper being pressed against the ribbon .and plate to take an impression. The invention particularly concerns the provision of a simple tab useful for indicating the Y class to which a particular plate belongs,

and a simple convenient means for holding such a tab in place on the plate.

An object is to provide an address plate and removable tab both of which may be simple and cheap to construct. A further object is to provide an address plate which shall be so formed as to support a tab in a protected position, well below the printing surfaces. Other objects include the provision of a sheet metal plate in which the tab retaining means and character bearing member retaining means are substantially alike and may be formed by similar die parts i in the same operation.

The preferred form of plate is shown, described and claimed in a copen'ding application of my own filed May 5th, 1926, serially numbered 106,792. Such a plate preferably consists of a curved strip of sheet metal suitably reinforced at its edges and having on its body portion parallel rows of corrugations from which extend upstruck lips or lugs severed from the metal of the corrugations and extending substantially in the same lane. Over such corrugations are slid printing strips having downturned side edges embracing the lips, and the strips have upwardly embossed printing characters thereon.

Thepresent tab is supported flatwise on a portion of the plate which does not have corrugations, but it is retained in place against movement in three directions by the corrugations. The portions of the corrugations which extend at the sides of the tab have lips projecting outwardly over the card, these lips and corrugation portions being made the same as if for holding the printing strips and at the time when all the other lips and corrugations are formed.

The advantages of my construction will become more apparent from the description to follow which relates to the accompanying drawing, showing my preferred form. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of my address plate showing the tab thereon; Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views indicated by the line 2-2 and 3-3 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a. longitudinal fragmentary cross sectional View as indicated by the line 4l4 on Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing several embossed printing lines supported on the plate and with the tab in position thereon, and Fig. 6 shows a series of plates in a suitable drawer arranged for taking out one plate at a time for printing therefrom and replacing it in the drawer.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 indicates the plate generally which may consist of a curved sheet metal body portion 2 having downturned marginal portions 3 integral therewithand terminating in beads 4 running the entire length of the plate. The plate in general is trough shaped in order that a number of plates may be stacked together and occupy a comparatively small space while the side edges flare generously in order that the plates when so stacked serve to mutually align themselves and in order that they will not readily stick to gether.

The means for holding the printing strips includes as shown, longitudinally extending corrugations 7. The corrugations at the side edges of the plate, which are desig nated 7* extend substantially the entire length of the plate, and there are also shorter corrugations indicated at 7 which stop short of one end of the plate. Each corrugation, as shown, has a uniform series of laterally extending lips 10 which may be formed by shearing out small sections from the sides of the corrugations and bending, such sections upwardly. All parts of the lips lie substantially in the same plane as the ridges of the respective corrugations in order to accurately support the printing strips. As shown, the lips are in staggered relation, that is to say, one lip is bent up on one side and the next adjacent lip on (ill the other side of its corrugation, and so on. If desired however, these lips may be otherwise arranged, for example, opposite each other.

The printing characterlrbe'aring members consist, as shown, of narrow. strips of metal having upwardly embossed printing characterslQ and downwardly and inwardly extending flanges 13, the flanges being arranged to embrace the lips andto'be held in place against lateral movement thereby, Suitable means for locking the strips in place against sliding oil of the corrugations consist in bending down a short section the metal of each strip between adjacent lips, V p Y My tab 15 consists, as shown, of simply a rectangular piece of suitable material such as card boardv This tab lies upon the unenu hossed -suriace 1610f the plate, the unembossed area extending. from. the ends of the shorter corrugations 7", between the projecting. ends of the longer corrugations and to the edgeot'theplate. A tab may there fore be easily slid along such area beneath the otherwise idle overhanging lips 10, the

tab being there retained, against being lifted oil, by thelips, retained against lateral shifting by the sideso f thelonger corrugations, and retained against en'dwise shifting toward the embossed strips by the ends of the shorter corrugations.

In Fig 6, I have shown a number of address plates supported in a suitable drawer D, tlie plates resting on the floor of the drawer and nesting against each other in two groups PI and P.: The latter group represents plates that have been printed from and ieplaced in the drawer, or simply tipped forwardly from one group to another in the case of plates from which it is not desired to takean impression. The toremost platel in the group P illustrates the desirability of having the tabs at or. very near the ends of the plate where they may be easily read as the operator turns the plates, one by one, from one group to the other.

The tabs may bear suitable indicia. designating classes oft-addresses, or may consist of ditlerent colors, with or. without legends, one color for each classoi": addresses. If desired, the tabs may have extensions (not shown) and such'extensions may be placed in different locations across the" ends of plates of diilerent classes to enable the operator to pick-outa plateof a given-class with:

out having to turn all'the plates on'e'by one.

If the tabs are ma-de upin different colors and extend only to the edge, these colored edges maybe seen over the tops of adjacent plates in the drawer since the formation of th s plate is such as to. provide a space be tween eachplate when nested: as in Fig. 6, allowing at least a short margin of the tabs or all the plates to be visible. Such margin is oi course increased by stacking the plates at an angle, as shown. For example, suppose it is desired to )ick out from the stack, such as shown in l ig. (5, only the plates having blue tabs. These may be easily distinguished from plates having dill'erent coloredtabs and a whole stack of plates, which it is not desired to select for printing, may be turned bodily from one group to the other leaving the lirst ei'icountcrcd plate with ablue tab exposed. as at l and in position to be taken out, printed from and replaced in the drawer.

From the above description it will be seen that l have provided a very simple and etlectivc device for identifying an address plate, the identifying tab being s curely held on the plate and being well protected iinst damage to its edges. as by contact with other plates, and agmnst fouling, as by contact with thc printing ribbon. Furthermore, lhave provided a retaining means for a tab which may be made simultuncously with the printing strip retaining means and with s substantially the same forming die or dies wherelor the tab retaining means will involve practically no additional cost.

I claim 1. An address plate having parallel ribs for supporting individual printing character bearing members, and a removable tab positioned between certain of the ribs and in alignment with others and lying llat against the body of the plate in a plane below the tops of said ribs.

A sheet metal address plate having parallel rows of corrugations therein, some ol the corrugations being longer than others, a tab positioned between said longer corrugations, means extending from the corrugations for holding printing character bearing members on the plate, said means on the longer corrugations serving to retain the tub, and said shorter corrugations serving to prevent the endwise movement thereof.

3. An address plate com nising a sheet metal member reinforced at its side edges. saidphil'e having corrugations 'l ormei'l then in parallel. to such edges for supporting character bearing printing members, a tab positioned at one end of lhe'plate between non-adjacent corrugations substantially in the same plane therewith and in alignment with other intermediate corrugations. and means "for retaining the tabon the plate.

lpAn address plate com 'n'ising a sheet metal strip having longitiulinally (LIl'PJNllllQ' ribs thereon in parallel rows, certain of the ribs intermediate of the side edges of the plate stopping-short of the end of the plate, and the ribs at eachside thereof extending substantially to the same end, means on the ribs for retaining printing character bearing members, and a removable tab positioned ill! ital

lll

in alignment with the intermediate ribs and between the said side ribs and means for retaining the tab on the plate.

5. In an address plate, a sheet metal body member having corrugations therein arranged in parallel rows, lips upstruck from the plate and overhanging the sides of the corrugations for retaining printing character bearing members, and atab resting on an uncorrugated portion of the plate substantially in a plane in common with the corrugations, the tab being retained in place against lateral movement by the sides of corrugations adjacent such uncorrugated portion, and against being lifted off the plate by certain of the overhanging lips.

(3. Au address plate comprising an elongated strip of sheet metal having corrugations formed therein and arranged in lines parallel to the side edges thereof, certain of the corrugations extending past others, toward one end of the plate, a series of uniform projections extending from the tops of the corrugations for retaining printing rails on the plate, and a plate identifying tab positioned between the farther extending corrugations and lying substantially flat against the plate, said tab being retained in place by said projections on the farther extending corrugations.

7. An address plate comprising a sheet metal strip having lugs upstruck therefrom in parallel rows to retain printing character bearing members, two of the rows extending past other intermediate rows, and a tab positioned adjacent one end of the plate in alignment with such intermediate rows and held in place by the lugs of the farther extending rows.

8. An address plate comprising a sheet metal strip having parallel rows of lips upstruck therefrom, two of the rows extend ing substantially adjacent one end of the plate and vother intermediate rows stopping short of thesame end, each of said rows being adapted to hold embossed printing strips on the plate, and a tab in the nature of a card positioned on the plate by lips of the two first mentioned rows and in alignment with said intermediate rows.

9. In combination, a sheet metal address plate holder having embossed printing strips extending lengthwlse thereof, means including upstruck portions of the metal for retaining such strips and a tab on one end of the plate lying in a plane below the tops of such upstruck portions and flat against the sheetmetal.

10. In combination, a sheet metal address plate holder having embossed sheet metal printing members thereon with the printing lines extending lengthwise of the plate, a series of projections upstruck from the holder for retaining such members and a tab retained in place by certain of the projections and lying below the tops of such projections.

11. A sheet metal address plate having ribs formed therein in parallel rows, means for retaining printing character bearing menu-- bers on said ribs, two of the ribs being longer than others, said others lying between said two ribs, whereby an index tab may be supported flat against the plate and in alignment with said shorter ribs and retained in place by such retaining means of the longer ribs.

12. An address plate comprising a trough shaped metal strip having longitudinally ex tending corrugations thereon parallel to the sides of the trough, a substantially uniform series of lips extending laterally from the tops of said corrugations and upstruck from the sheet metal, embossed printing strips engaging the lips and held in printing position thereby, and tab seated between nonadjacent corrugations and in alignment with interl'nediate corrugations, and retained in. place by lips of the former.

13. An address plate con'iprising a trough shaped member having longitudinally extending ribs thereon parallel to the sides of the trough, a uniform series of overhanging projections extending laterally from the tops of said ribs, printing character bearing members engaging certain of the projections and held in printing position thereby, and a tab seated between certain of the ribs and in alignment with others and retained in place by such overhanging projections of the former ribs.

14. An address plate comprising a trough shaped metal body portion, rows of printing character bearing members positioned thereon and parallel with the sides of the trough, the printing surfaces being materially above the body of the plate, and a tab positioned fiat against the body portion below the plane of the printing surfaces and at the end of the plate whereby a series of plates may be compactly nested in a drawer with the tabs uppermost and in protected position.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

HENRY C. OSBORN. 

